


bring me a dream

by rare_cat_meme



Series: markhyuck university au [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, Established Relationship, Fluff, Homesickness, Humor, Ice Skating, M/M, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rare_cat_meme/pseuds/rare_cat_meme
Summary: Sitting at his desk Mark looks out his window, watching the thin layer of ice on the ground and thinkswinter, you fucking son of a bitch.or alternatively, Mark is homesick and Donghyuck has a plan up his sleeve.





	bring me a dream

**Author's Note:**

> please turn on your magic beam,  
> mr. sandman, bring me a dream

Sitting at his desk Mark looks out his window, watching the thin layer of ice on the ground and thinks  _ winter, you fucking son of a bitch.  _ As a proud Canadian, he’s no stranger to the coldest temperatures this godforsaken planet has to offer, but now living in Seoul, winter has taken a bit of a tool on him every year. The lack of light, lack of green, lack of motivation to get out of his warm bed in the cold mornings and, worst of all, the home sickness. It’s pretty dumb and not at all wanted, but nostalgia has a way of coming with the most bizarre memories, like how he misses his neighbour's dog who would bark all fucking night when he was five or the disgusting smell of cooked brussel sprouts they cooked at primary school or, worse of all, the nursery rhymes he sang in kindergarten that now plague his youtube recommendations. 

 

He shakes his head and sighs, looking back at his laptop screen. There’s a blank word document waiting for his last essay of the trimester. He looks at the frame on the desk next to his laptop; it’s him and Donghyuck a few months earlier, when the day would last long and they shared popsicles after midnight, still hot too outside. He smiles to himself, the memories bringing him some warmth. As if by telepathy his phone starts ringing, _ hyuck  _ popping on the screen.

 

“Hey” he says, grinning.

 

“Hi” Donghyuck sounds chirpy “are you busy?” Mark looks at his computer.

 

“Not really. Any suggestions?” Donghyuck hums.

 

“Come over for a movie, you owe me.”

 

“Mhm, what kind of movie?” Mark pretends to be hesitant.

 

“You have to come to know.”

 

“Oh well, seems like I don’t have a choice” Mark sighs dramatically.

 

“Bring snacks. And come in pajamas, I want to cuddle!” demands Donghyuck.

 

“Yes, your majesty” he says cordially “See you in 10.”

 

“Alright.” Donghyuck hangs up immediately. Mark huffs surprised. _ Suspicious _ .

 

❆

 

_ The Proposal _ is playing. It’s just at the scene where Sandra Bullock and Betty White are exercising in the woods. They’re cuddling on the couch, Donghyuck on top of Mark plus two blankets. The sun just went down, so the only light is coming from the laptop on top of the coffee table. Donghyuck is playing with his ear, gently lulling Mark into a sleepy state. 

 

“What was Canada like?” asks Donghyuck so quietly it’s almost inaudible. Mark looks up at the ceiling. It’s an unexpected question, so he takes some time to organize his thoughts. 

 

“Well” he starts “It’s hard to summarize” Donghyuck is looking at him curiously. He bops his cute button nose out.

 

“It was cold, but also not?” he’s aware he’s not making sense “Like, it’s always fun to go outside, whether it’s hot and you wanna go swim in the lakes or it’s cold and you wanna go skate.” the memories start flooding in “And you with your friends and your family and you just enjoy being with people. And going home to have dinner it’s nice, everyone sits down and eats and we talk about the day an-”

 

The stop is abrupt. He knows from this point on he’ll just fall into a pit of thoughts he does not want to dive in. Mostly because it’s pretty unachievable at the current moment, also because it just makes him kind of sad. Donghyuck certainly notices, but thankfully doesn’t ask more. He just pushes himself up a bit to drop a kiss on Mark’s cheek and then smiles cutely at him.

 

“We should go ice skate sometime.” 

 

Mark smiles and pushes him up against himself, pressing a firm kiss to Donghyuck’s lips.

 

“Yeah, we should.”

 

_ Thank you. _

 

❆

 

Mark ends up staying over after the movie ends. Donghyuck claims it’s too cold for him to be walking on the street and he requires extra heating from his boyfriend or he’ll die - Jaemin confirms the fact. The latter got home just as the movie ended and was pretty excited about Mark being there. They’re all on the couch drinking hot cocoa -  _ thanks Nana _ \- as Jaemin shares the good news.

 

“Listen, you’re not gonna believe this” the liquid in his mug is slouching dangerously, Mark can see Donghyuck’s concerned stare “Jaehyun hyung and I went on a date to the Christmas market and guess what they fucking have?”

 

_ Hopefully a stain remover _ thinks Mark as some of the cocoa spills on Jaemin’s blanket.

 

“An ice rink!” he says delighted “It’s so cool! You guys have to go! Mark, you’re Canadian, you should be a pro skater!”

 

“Uhm” Donghyuck is looking at him with big glossy eyes, expectant. He tries not to think of all the times he failed at ice skating and how the last time he did it was about 14 years ago “yeah, pretty much.” he laughs it off quietly. Jaemin smiles, and Mark can at least appreciate the fact he was excited to give Mark a little nostalgia trip. Donghyuck is over the moon, lightly squeezing Mark’s hand under the blankets.

 

As they finish the cocoa, Jaemin excuses himself to his room with a goodnight and  _ no funny business _ . As Mark washes the mugs with Donghyuck attached to his back - because even if he can’t cook he can at least help - he smells something familiar but that he can’t quite place. He shakes it off as some weird Christmas treat Donghyuck and Jaemin might have lying around. Donghyuck whines that he’s taking too long and he hurries up so they can retreat to the bedroom. 

 

❆

 

He’s lying on Donghyuck’s bed waiting as the younger goes through his lengthy night skin care routine.

 

Donghyuck’s room is quite a sight to see. There’s fairy lights all round and pictures, post it notes and all sorts of tiny bits of paper stuck on the wall. Quite a few he can recognize as pictures Johnny took; most of them are analog and there’s two that never fail to make his heart skip a beat - one of both of them that was candid and Johnny gifted them a few weeks after and the other one is just a picture of Mark. _ You just looked kind of hot I guess _ Donghyuck said the first time Mark pointed out, with red cheeks and avoiding eye contact. He proceeded to show Donghyuck his own lock screen - a bed time selfie he’d sent Mark, no makeup on and with a peace sign -  _ You looked kinda cute, I guess.  _ Donghyuck clicked his tongue, satisfied. It’s dumb but it always makes him a little giddy inside.

 

Donghyuck comes out of this bathroom, shutting off all the lights and climbing into the bed.

 

“Can you stay over tomorrow?” he asks, lying next to Mark, tucking himself on the older’s side. “I wanna take you on a date.” Marks laughs lightly.

 

“Of course.” he squeezes Donghyuck’s waist affectionately, getting a kiss under his jaw in return. He yawns, settling deeper into his sleepy state.

 

“Night Hyukie, I love you.”

 

“Night Mark, I love you too.”

 

❆

 

Mark is usually a morning person. He revels in the ability of waking up early, mostly because he feels most of the time he doesn’t have enough hours in a day to do everything he wants. Especially now that he has Donghyuck in his life quickly climbing up in his priorities list. It amazes him how in the midst of his music production course, part time job and his own music projects, Donghyuck fits in as if he has always been there.

 

He wakes up to an empty bed, which is unheard of, Donghyuck  _ never _ wastes any precious minutes of sleep,  _ specially _ when it’s cold. He pulls on the hoodie he discarded during the night when it got too hot - Mark is still not used to sharing a bed; but oh boy can’t he wait for the days it becomes part of their daily routine. The thought brings a smile to his face while he gets up, heading to the kitchen.

 

Jaemin is sitting down in the small kitchen table - with a mug that probably contains the necessary caffeine to provoke an overdose to a normal human being - while Donghyuck is flipping pancakes onto a plate and the sweet smell of-  _ wait, is that- _

 

“Morning!” Donghyuck says cheerily, putting his arms around Mark’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss. He takes exactly like-

 

“Is that maple syrup?” he’s in shock, absolutely bamboozled. Donghyuck smiles sweetly -  _ how fitting _ .

 

“Yep.” He pulls Donghyuck into another kiss, this time the passionate and  _ ‘honestly what did I do to deserve you’ _ kind. It’s a small gesture most people wouldn’t even notice but it weighs heavily on Mark’s heart that Donghyuck noticed his homesickness and made the effort to make him feel as home with what he could.

 

“Ay, guys, cute fluff fest but like, the pancakes are gonna burn.” Jaemin pops in, sipping from his mug. He finally lets Donghyuck go - after squeezing happily one more time. “There’s some coffee in the brewer, if you want.”

 

“Thanks.” he opens the top cabinet to pull out his mug - the white one with a slice of watermelon - and pours himself a cup before sitting down next to Jaemin on one of the tiny stools. “Where did you even find it?” Donghyuck looks reluctant.

 

“Well, I knew you were feeling some  _ winter blues,  _ so I wanted to do something that could bring you the feeling of home. Jaemin found the syrup during one of our weird supermarket trips and suggested the pancakes. And then Jaehyun found the ice rink.” he shrugs as if it’s nothing. “So basically they did all the work.” Jaemin scoffs at his friend.

 

“As if you didn’t spend hours browsing for  _ Canadian things _ and  _ Canadian things to do in Seoul _ . Hyuck, you’re not fooling anyone.”

 

Mark can’t force the full teeth smile out of his face. Donghyuck sits down next to him, still looking bashful. Mark grabs his hand under the table, lacing their fingers together.  _ Thank you. _ Donghyuck gives him a smile, a pinkish tint to his cheeks.

 

❆

 

They chat away the coldest part of the morning. Mark feels content sitting on the uncomfortable stool in the tiny table; lately his own apartment has been mostly empty, Yukhei spending most of his time at Renjun’s, leaving him to be there with just his thoughts. It’s a nice change to share his morning with Donghyuck and Jaemin, who are bright and lively and exude this comfortable, homey warmth and kindly invite anyone to join. Jaehyun joins them just before the clock strikes 10am and Mark rejoices in the joy of being with your loved ones and just enjoying each others company. 

 

They decide on the plans of the day: Mark and Donghyuck will go to the ice rink - Renjun and Yukhei seem to want to join them - and later the six of them can get together at Donghyuck’s and Jaemin’s to have dinner and drinks.

 

Dressed up in Donghyuck’s clothes and with their hands intertwined they head to the rink.

 

“Probabilities of me falling on my ass?” asks Donghyuck. Mark hums in fake thought.

 

“I will be  _ very _ impressed if you don’t fall  _ at least _ once.” Donghyuck nods.

 

“Sounds perfect.”

 

❆

 

For someone who studies dance and has been practicing for years, Donghyuck is  _ absolutely terrible  _ at ice skating. Even Yukhei, whose limbs are too long and uncoordinated, has kind of caught on and is slowly grazing through the crowd with a dumb smile and Renjun in his hand. Donghyuck, however, has been glued to the wall for the past 5 minutes and refuses to let go.

 

“Who _ the fuck _ thought blades and slippery surfaces would be a good idea.” he whines loudly with a terrified expression. Mark rolls his eyes (but is endeared  _ obviously _ ) and back hugs the younger in an attempt to prod him off the wall. It kind of works.

 

“It was probably a really helpful method of moving in the cold before cleaning roads, or actual roads, were a thing.” he offers “You said you wanted me to teach you, c’mon, _ you owe me. _ ” poorly copying Donghyuck seems to be the way to go, because he turns around with an annoyed expression and pulls himself up straight, firmly holding Mark’s hand. _ Progress _ . He grabs Donghyuck’s other hand, facing him and gently skates back. The younger is super stiff, Mark is awfully entertained.

 

“Stop making fun of me.” Donghyuck pouts.

 

“No can do, you’re too cute.” Mark grins and gives a quick kiss.

 

They’re moving slowly and Donghyuck is not even aware until Yukhei screams from behind them.

 

“You’re doing it Hyuck!” Renjun shhs him, now attached to Yukhei’s back like a koala.

 

“That is it, oh my God, Mark can we try it?” Mark shakes his head with a smile, turning around. He feels Donghyuck’s wrap his arms around his waist and rest his head on Mark’s shoulder. Once he feels a secure hold he asks.

 

“Ready?” Donghyuck hums.

 

Mark gains some speed then lets himself go with the flow. There’s a kiss on his nape.

 

“This is nice. Is it like this back in Canada?” 

 

“Yeah, kind of.” He squeezes Donghyuck’s hand. “Thank you, you know, for t

helping me not be homesick.” He can feel a smile on the back of his neck and his hand being squeezed back.

 

“Hey, do wanna race to the other side, losers buy hot chocolate?” Yukhei says grinning. 

 

“Are you aware you’re defying a Canadian? Like he was probably born with ice skates on.” Renjun protests.

 

“Babe, are you gonna skip the chance of having free hot chocolate?” Yukhei says, turning his back. The younger hums.

 

“Then we better fucking win, let’s go!”

 

❆

 

“I told you, nothing tastes better than hot chocolate won in a bet.” says Yukhei holding a large cup with two straws. Renjun rolls his eyes, but still smiles at him, dropping a kiss on his cheek. Mark and Donghyuck are sharing one of their own - that tastes faintly of defeat; Mark’s ego is bruised. 

 

The Christmas market is busy so they have settled on a small table with high stools. The sun has already gone down, so all the colorful lights are shining brightly.

 

“So what are your guys’ plans for the holidays?” asks Renjun.

 

“I’m going home for Christmas.” Donghyuck answers curtly.

 

“Me too!” chimes in Yukhei. “I’m flying on the 10th.” The three of them turn to face him.

 

“I’m staying here...” he answers quietly. Renjun smiles at him.

 

“I am too! Doyoung hyung is throwing a Christmas party for all the ‘rejects’.” he scrunches his face at rejects “You should come!” Mark is hesitant. He has met Doyoung through Jeno but he’s not particularly close, specially not to spend such a family type holiday.

 

“Wouldn’t I be intruding too much?”

 

“Not at all! He told me to bring any friends that would be alone.” at Mark’s still not convinced face Renjun pulls out his phone. “There’s gonna be people you know, I’m going, Jeno is going, I’m pretty sure Yuta hyung is going,” at the mention of one of the halves of his - self acclaimed -  _ uni parents _ Mark feels compelled to go “Kun hyung and Sicheng hyung too.”

 

“Ok, I’m in, I’m in!” he gives Renjun a high five.

 

It certainly feels like a too good to be true day, a taste of home, a cute date and Christmas plans made. 

 

❆

 

“Hey Hyuck”

 

“Hum?”

 

“Do you know that all I want for Christmas” Mark has a greasy smile “is  _ you _ .” Donghyuck scrunches his face is disgust.

 

“Gross.” he cuddles closer to Mark under the blanket. “More.” he demands. 

 

The intro to Mariah Carey’s song plays in the kitchen.

 

“Yukhei, _ no! _ ” yells Renjun.

 

“Yukhei, _ yes! _ ” yells back Jaemin breaking into song with Yukhei. Renjun comes out of the kitchen looking traumatized. Mark and Donghyuck watch him sit down next to them in the couch.

 

“All I want for Christmas is some peace and quiet.”

 

“You gave that up when you decided to date Yukhei.”

 

“ _ Touché. _ ”

**Author's Note:**

> smash like if you love donghyuck and wish him the healthiest recovery 
> 
> i was determined to post this before 2019 aye  
> well 2018 was a wild ride, i wish all of you an amazing year and that all of your hard work pays off!  
> if you wanna cry about the many things happening at the moment (mark's graduation, kun's bday, nct china,...) let's be friends - like pls idk anyone irl that stans nct i need friends. [twitter](https://twitter.com/ridikunlous)
> 
> also i'm looking for a beta - and if you write as well and are looking for a beta i'd be totally cool to exchange works!!
> 
> (who do you think is the other half of mark's uni parents? leave your predictions)


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